Blue Lagoon: The Awakening AU. The same story as the movie; except they don't get back together at prom. Starts the first day of them both coming back to school. Emma is pregnant.
If you want to see what the characters look like, or anything else about this story, go to deanandemma on tumblr
Chapter 1
Dean's POV
Coming back to school in the middle of the semester, especially after being lost in an island, was unnerving. It was strange, being stared at so much, after being ignored for so long in my high school career. After the void of human voices in the island, the sound was refreshing. The hallway was filled with curious eyes, and even listening to my ipod didn't stop people I'd never spoken to coming up to me, asking me anything about the island and what happened there.
The first day had been the worst - people saying how much they missed me and how hard it must have been for me. Everywhere I turned people whispered to their friends that I was the kid who got lost on the island with Emma Robinson, the most popular girl in school. They didn't care about me, they just wanted to know the juicy gossip before it got old.
It was getting really irritating, but the people trying to talk to me had been decreasing dramatically when I ignore them or say something rude. I was already thinking about skipping school later as I headed to History, and driving down to the beach. I just needed to get out of here, to leave the stares, and weirdly, glares. Stephen and his friends kept glaring at me, maybe they thought I was the reason I got Emma stuck on that island. As if I wanted it to happen.
It didn't help much that people were starting to think worse of me now than before considering I refused to answer their way too personal questions. At least it wasn't as bad as last week, the week Emma and I first came back to school.
I shoved my school books into my backpack, zipped it up and closed my locker shut. I pulled my hoodie up over my head and turned away from my locker, walking down the hall.
The hall was packed, yet somehow people made space for me to walk without touching people. I kept my eyes steady and my face emotionless. Some people purposely moved into my path to shove me. Clearly people had now heard that I wouldn't give them any information, so they were leaving me be. Or trying to get on my nerves, to see if I'd react.
Instead I kept my walk steady and carried on into room 204, where History was being held.
It was a normal-sized classroom, and I wasn't late, for a change, so I could choose a seat. I headed towards the back, finding comfort in almost disappearing from the wide gazes of the other students. It was almost like before I had left.
That's what my life was like now - sorted into events before and after the island. I wished one day I could remove the stigma that clouded me, as "the island boy". I dumped my books on the desk and pushed my bag under it. A song had just started on my ipod and I drummed my pencil against my books to the beat and put my feet up on the desk.
Other kids filed in, messing with their phones or talking about something that will be forgotten in a week. According to the school therapist I'm supposed to feel differently towards others, I'm supposed to run towards people, to relish a sense of community after being isolated for so long. If I'm honest, sometimes I just want to go back to the island, where everything was good and simple.
I'm pulled out of my thoughts by the teacher writing the title for today's lesson on the board. The classroom was almost filled now, guys and girls I never knew the name of before the island and still don't know sitting in chair all around me.
I take my feet off the table before I get reprimanded and bring more attention to myself. The teacher, Mr Walder, was a usually timid old man a few years away from retiring, and I was glad I wasn't in his position - trying to control 20 loud teenagers. Mr Walder had just started the class, but was already taking in assignments that he had tasked the class on the first week of the semester, when I was at home adjusting to life home from the island. He had been off for a family emergency last week, so this was his first class teaching me.
He was coming up my row now, and reached over toward my deak for my assignment before stopping himself.
"Oh. I'm sorry" Mr Walder said, and drew his hand back. "You weren't here in September, were you...?"
"Dean." I finished for him.
The whole class was looking at us now, some people staring, others looking startled, like they hadn't realized I was there before. I was used to people scrutinizing me whenever any attention came upon me, so I just did what I always do; ignore them and act natural.
"Ah yes. I'm Mr Walder, and I will need you to speak to me after class about the work you've missed while you were..." he struggled to find the right choice of words "...away".
"Aye aye, captain." I saluted him, and I could see a flicker of anger in his eyes as he turned back to the rest of the class.
Eyes rolling, I turned my head away, and looked out the window. This classroom had a view of the front of the school, showing the green grass covering the area before the school front doors. There were two big trees on opposite sides of the path which lead up to the school entrance, each offering shade from the sun, although people were avoiding the shade now that winter is coming. The quad was empty right now, and I lost myself in my thoughts, and random ideas.
Emma's face popped into my head, but I forced it to the back of my mind. I had tried to speak to her when we first got back, but she just kept shooting me down. I get it, now we're back home we aren't together. I was only a comfort while we were on the island, I understand. I feel the same. Now we're off the island we would have to label our relationship and be scrutinized by the whole world.
The only reason we were together in the first place is that we were the only people there, on the island. We never spoke before, we didn't even like each other before the island. Emma's friend, Lizzie, even joked about me before the trip to build the school, and before Emma and I got shipwrecked. We're in the real world now, and Emma and I don't need to stay together, I don't even want to be with her.
The thud of a dropped pencil case brought me back to reality. Back in the classroom, Mr Walder was discussing something about the cold war, but I don't think anyone was really listening. I looked outside the window again, and saw a young girl running towards the school.
I smiled to myself, watching as the girl frantically ran to avoid being even more late. She looked younger than me, clearly a freshman, with wavy brown hair and pale skin, only noticeable because nearly all the other girls here were sporting a summer tan.
The girl ran past my line of sight, but I heard the entrance door slam in the hallway outside. She was going to get yelled at, but she looked like a seasoned late-arriver.
Bored, I looked at the clock. Only fifteen minutes had passed, meaning there were still forty-five minutes left. I groaned silently to myself and started doodling on my notebook to pass the time.
My doodles stopped becoming random, and I started drawing palm trees, and mountain forms, and the outline of a jungle. I wasn't even thinking, I just drew, until I started drawing the lagoon. Our lagoon.
I was drawing every detail that I could remember, and that's when it hit me. That we're never going back. I knew, in my head, that obviously things were never going to be the same, but I hadn't spent much time thinking about it.
I was never going back to that place, not in the same conditions at least. Sure, in ten years we may go back with other people to visit the place Emma and I called home for three months, but it won't be the same. We won't be stuck on the island, forced to hunt and scavenge for our food, with only each other for comfort. Emma and I can never go back to that place.
That thought scared me, and I began rubbing out my drawing. The blue lagoon will look the same physically if we went back, but it wouldn't feel the same.
The island was not really a prison for me in the end, but, a haven. I didn't have to worry about school-work or friends or anything on the island. I always wanted to go back, but it was in the back of my mind by the last few weeks of our time on the island. It wasn't even my relationship with Emma that I longed for, it was the way we lived, how free it felt on the island.
I stopped thinking and went back to listening to the lecture, unable to stand the sound of my own voice, even just in my head.
Mr Walder was talking about Russian troops invading American land-space, when a loud knock at the door interrupted him.
"Come in." Mr Walder said in a disproving tone. Clearly he was not happy with being interrupted during his class. On the other hand, all of his students were.
The door opened, and in came the girl who I spent 3 months on an island with.
Emma walked in through the door and glanced over at the class. I looked away from her and tucked my head into my textbook. Her gaze went straight over me and she directed her attention towards the teacher.
"Sorry I'm late, I was in a meeting with the principal." Emma said, clearly uncomfortable because she was always the perfect student, and was never late.
I hadn't spoken to Emma since the night of the party Emma's parents threw for our return, when I tried to kiss her and she moved away. I've seen her in the corridor but whenever I caught her eye she'd look away. So I stopped looking for her.
Emma handed Mr Walder a note.
"Alright, Miss Robinson. Just sit down and open to page 47 please" Mr Walder replied, gesturing to the empty seat in the third row.
Emma moved to the seat and sat down. As she unpacked her backpack, Mr Walder turned around to face her again.
"Oh, and can you see me after class. I need to give you some work that you missed." Mr Walder said and then turned back to whatever he was writing on the whiteboard.
Well, I was going to have to see Emma again sometime. I guess it was going to be now.
Class ended quicker than I thought, and I reached in my bag to pack up my books slowly, knowing that I was going to have to stay behind to get my work. Everyone else filed out quickly and loudly, talking to their friends. Some girl was talking to Emma before she left. No one talked to me, but that's normal.
I swung my backpack over my shoulder and walked up to Mr Walder's desk. As I passed Emma, I saw surprise fill her eyes. Obviously she didn't know I was in this class.
We were both in-front of Mr Walder's desk now and the room was filled with a heavy silence, with everyone else having left. Finally Mr Walder finished sorting out his papers and pushed papers each of our hands.
"Alright. I know you two were stuck on an island for half a year or something, but you're back now and you need to get back to work." He said, being very frank.
"It's not like we chose to go." I retorted
"No. It's not, is it, Mr McMullen?" Mr Walder turned towards me, stone-faced, "Yet you spent weeks in a tropic paradise and missed the first few weeks of school. Sounds like you just had a long vacation. " He paused. "I'm sure the other teachers are going to be lenient towards you, but I won't. This year is too important for you. This is the year that will decide the rest of your lives, so I won't take it easy on you."
Mr Walder looked from me to Emma and back again. "I expect this work to be done by next Wednesday. I won't accept any excuses."
I groaned and grabbed my stack of papers, receiving a glare from Mr Walder as I walked out. Emma followed me out, and we walked down the now empty hallway at awkward distances from each other.
Emma walked quickly to catch-up with me, and I didn't slow my pace.
"That was weird." She said, "I mean, it's not like we wanted to stay on the island."
Emma waited for me to reply, and when I didn't she just continued, "Why does he not like us? We've only been in his lesson one day."
"Yeah." I said, not helping to contribute to the conversation.
"It's strange being back, everyone's acting differently. The cafeteria's been re-done, and there's all this stuff in the news that's been happening that we just... missed." She paused again. I stayed silent.
"Listen, Dean..." Emma started, before I interrupted her.
"Hey, I'm really sorry, but I'm supposed to be in Ms Fern's class now, and she locks the door if you're more than 10 minutes late." I said, before speed walking down the corridor and away from Emma.
Emma's POV
I watched Dean practically run down the corridor to get away from me. I sighed, and walked towards my locker. I was already exhausted and it wasn't even the end of 2nd period.
Things were so awkward between Dean and me ever since we got back. It's like we didn't know what to talk about anymore. We used to be able to talk about anything, we were so close. But now, now there's just space.
I don't even know if I want it to go back to the way things used to be. I feel as if I'm torn apart and there are two versions of me - the island Emma and the reality Emma. I'm just not sure which one I want to be yet.
I don't know how Dean fits into my life now, what we would be together, to each other. We never made anything official on the island; I could've been Dean's fuck-buddy for all I know, just something to pass the time. I think we both knew it wasn't going to continue after the island. Yet, I keep worrying about him and wondering what's going through his head.
The first few days he kept trying to talk to me, but I was confused. I didn't want to talk to him until my head was straight - that hasn't happened yet and now Dean won't talk to me.
I had to get my mind off him. We run in different circles, we hated each other when we first got on the island and we probably only stuck together because there were no other options.
I slugged my books out of my backpack and put them in my locker. I grabbed my French book and walked towards my French class. I looked at my watch, it was ten past.
Great, that means I'm late to two lessons in a row. I've never done that before, I hope it's not going to affect my already diminishing GPA. It was hard to keep academics in the high context that I did before the island, after knowing how much more there was. I mean, I always knew, everyone always told me school work wasn't life and death, but I never really understood. God, I thought I did, but the island, it didn't change me so much as make me aware of everything else there is to life.
I made it to French class and when I walked in, everyone stared at me. Just another day in reality. They're going to stop staring soon, but right now, it's the most uncomfortable thing. Everyone was just watching you like you're the shiny new toy.
I turned away from the class and towards the teacher.
"Hi, sorry I'm late, I had to pick up some work from Mr Walder." I said, trying to make this as fast as possible.
The teacher looked at me sternly before turning her attention back to the whiteboard she had previously been writing on. I stood there for a few moments before taking the hint and finding a seat somewhere.
I saw a seat free near Stephen, and I took it. Ever since I'd come back Stephen had been sweet to me and just like a friend. Apparently when I'd been gone, Stephen and my friends had became closer while I was away. Stephen and Lizzie became close, but nothing romantic, because "bros before hoes applies to girls too" according to Lizzie.
Stephen smiled at me when I sat down, and I was happy I chose this seat. While the teacher was still writing on the board, Stephen leaned over to my desk.
"That's Miss Masters. She's new here and she's a total b. Don't ever hand in a homework late or she'll eat you." He whispered in my ear, so close that the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
I laughed silently and caught his eyes. He stared back at me, and it was nice. It was comfortable.
"Thanks for the warning, I'll watch out." I reply, enjoying the easy friendship that came with Stephen.
The lesson continued on, and Stephen made it fun for me. Our conversation flowed naturally, and he made me laugh a few times. I could forget myself with Stephen, and got to go back to being a normal teenager again, not some girl who you saw get rescued on the news.
Stephen had another class with me, English Literature in the afternoon, but he agreed to meet me before lunch so we could go to the cafeteria together and he could show me the new layout.
My next class was Biology, and I already knew Lizzie was in this class with me. As soon as I walked in, not late for this class, thank god, Lizzie screamed and ran towards me. Lizzie had been ill all of last week, and we hadn't been able to talk before school started like we usually do. That was thanks to the meeting I had to have with the principal about how to catch-up with my school work and how to settle back into school life, which was also the meeting where he strongly recommended that I see the school therapist on a regular basis, just until i "get back in the swing of things".
"It's been forever since I spoke to you! How have your first days back been?" Lizzie asked in a blur of words.
"Ah, good. Yeah, it's been okay." I replied
"Ignore all the losers staring at you. They're just jealous they're not on the news." Lizzie said loudly, making sure the whole class heard and stopped looking at us.
Lizzie sat down in the middle row, and waited for me to sit next to her.
"Anyway" Lizzie continued, "I saw you and Stephen talking. Is that flirtationship rearing it's beautiful head again?"
"I don't think so, Lizzie. I'm pretty sure Stephen just thinks of me as a friend now." I laughed at her.
"No way. A guy like that doesn't hang around a supposedly dead, sorry Em, girl's friends if he isn't way into her." Lizzie retorted.
"Please." I reply, "Then why was he hooking up with some girl at that carnival party the night I got shipwrecked."
"Because you guys weren't an actual item. And he was drunk." Lizzie said, "Whatever, the point is, he hasn't hooked up with anyone since and you two would be perfect together."
She sounded so sure, she made me want to believe her.
"I think we'll just be friends, at least for now. He's actually coming to pick us up for lu-" I got cut off in my conversation as the teacher walked in.
"Good morning future scientists. Time to open your textbooks please. We'll be working on neurosis today." The teacher, who's name I don't know, said to the class.
I started to turn away from Lizzie but she started whispering something to me as the teacher was writing the date on the board.
"Oh, and don't think we're not going to talk about what happened on that island, Ems. I need to know what went on at island shipwreck with psycho boy." Lizzie smiled before changing her concentration to the teacher.
I understood why Lizzie said that, it was just like anything else she said, but some reason that last comment caused my chest to tighten.
When the bell rang for lunch, Stephen was waiting outside as Lizzie and I walked out the door.
"Hey Stephen." Lizzie said, "Make any girls cry today because you rejected them?"
Stephen laughed, "Not yet, but here's to hoping."
He turned to face me now as well, "Hey Emma, did you hear about this party at Tommy's?"
"Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you!" Lizzie gasped, I could see excitement flowing in her eyes.
"Um, who's Tommy?" I ask
"Tommy Greenfield. He's this super rich kid who moved here freshman year. You won't know him, he was totally unpopular until he started dating Alexis in summer and now he's totally cool. Anyway, he's throwing a rager at his house this friday while his parent's are away on a romantic getaway or something. You have to come!" Lizzie said, so ready for this to happen.
"Yeah, uh, it can be like you're comeback to reality." Stephen added.
"I don't think my parent's are going to let me go to a party the first week I get back." I say, trying to back out of it. I don't really feel like a party right now.
"Oh come on, Emma. It's going to be the party of the year." Lizzie said. "Just tell your parents you're staying at my house at come paaarty."
"Ah... I guess." I said, giving in.
"Yes!" Lizzie almost whooped.
"It's going to be great, Emma. We'll all go together, it'll be fun." Stephen's easy smile relieved me.
We walked into the cafeteria together, and I finally felt normal. I had forgotten about this, about just buying a lunch and eating it with your friends. It was so... ordinary. Just what I wanted.
We grabbed our sandwiches, paid, and headed outside to sit in the grass and try and get a better tan. Well, at least Lizzie did, I was already super brown from the island, and I'm pretty sure Stephen didn't care about getting a tan.
I wasn't exactly looking for Dean, but I couldn't see him anywhere in the cafeteria or outside anyway. It didn't matter, I wasn't worried about him, not back in the real world at least.
"So Stephanie has been totally bitchy lately and totally sucking up to Bailee." Lizzie was filling me in on all the gossip I missed.
"I liked Stephanie" I said
"Yeah, she was nice, but now she's friends with Bailee. Bailee." Lizzie stressed Bailee's name as if I wasn't hearing her right.
"I know, Bailee sucks. Trust me, I know that more than anyone, but Stephanie has done nothing to me." I said.
"Okay, sorry. I don't want to turn you all cynical on me! Well, it probably won't matter anyway because word is, Stephanie slept with Freddie." Lizzie looked around for our shocked faces.
"Yeah, that's the word in the locker room too." Stephen said
"No. Not Bailee's Freddie." I said. I'm not much of a gossip, but this is big. Especially seeing as Stephanie was such a good-girl last year.
"Yup. So obviously little Stephanie isn't going to be in Bailee's good graces for long anyway." Lizzie said, clearly reveling in being the bearer of such interesting gossip.
Lizzie and Stephen continued discussing Stephanie's downfall, and I started to feel a bit queasy. I clutched my stomach and looked down at my food. The meat hadn't looked that well cooked but, to be honest, I had been used to fish for so long that I didn't really judge if it was cooked enough or not.
"Um, guys." I said, starting to stand, "I don't feel so good. I think I'm going to go in now."
Lizzie and Stephen looked up to me.
"Are you okay?" Stephen asked earnestly. "Do you want us to come with you?"
"No, I'm fine. It was just some bad beef. Seriously." I said, walking away. "Just get back to your lunch."
I walk towards the cafeteria and I can hear Lizzie saying "Well, I'm not eating this now. I don't want to get food poising too" as I'm walking away, and I smile to myself.
As soon as I bin the rest of my food, my stomach surges again and I run to the bathroom. Opening the stalls, I start heaving up the lunch I just ate. After I finish vomiting, I rinse my mouth out with water and wash my hands. I watch my face in the mirror, and can see my red cheeks and unhealthy colour on my face. I look around and am glad that no one else is in the bathroom.
Splashing water on my face, I leave to go pack for my next class.
I make it through the rest of the day fairly well, not really talking in class, thankful that I only have two more classes yet, English Literature and AP Algebra. I have English Literature with Stephen, which is a relief, but I also spot Dean and I wish I wasn't in the same class with him at the moment. Algebra is fine, I don't know anyone in that class but I'm glad for it today, I feel too ill to talk anyway.
I run to the bathroom and vomit one more time before I go home to sleep. I hate food poising.